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[quote=Ise]"We actually made it! Good job, you two.”[/quote]

The heat was slowly fading. Niran continued lying on the ground as a stream substance coated his face. It was wet, chunky and very fishy. He lolled his head from side to side as he tried to figure the squishy substance. He snorted a little and choked as a watery liquid shot up his noise and down his throat. He coughed and then shuddered. The creamy, eggy smell left a sour taste in his mouth. [i]Why on earth was there mayonnaise on the ground?[/i] 

[quote=Ise]“Give me a hand Toby, Ran is really heavy."[/quote]

Ran gasped when a pair of hands pulled his collar. He could feel his entire shirt tightening against his stomach. He pressed his hands against the ground not before Toby grabbed his arm. Ran flopped backwards and landed on his bum. He gave the two a goofy smile as streaks of muddied tuna flowed down his face. Pounded into the ground, with a faint imprint of his face, was a soiled, soggy remains of a tuna sandwich. The man blinked as a black head bumped into him. 

“Ow… Colbalt!” He yelped before he burst out laughing. 

The fire dragonet was lapping up the tuna from his face. A deep rumble coming from its throat indicated how happy it was to be able to taste some fish. The pinkish tongue moved swiftly up and down. Leaving no patch of skin unlicked. When it was done, Cobolt proceeded to lick and muss up Ran’s hair to get out the remaining tuna. Ran kept his eyes closed. The sensation reminded him of when his mom’s cat. He wondered if dragons were actually part cat. Most of the young ones were just as affectionate as kittens, and they loved playing with round, bouncy objects. He stroked the young dragon’s head.

“I bet you are as hungry as we are, aren’t you?” He chuckled. “Your small friend must be even hungrier.” 

Cobalt purred quietly as it finally lay its head on Ran’s lap. He continued stroking the scaly head while watching Ise and the strange children. The whole thing was very unsettling. They were talking about the law and criminals and… Ise … had her knife out. He continued patting the baby dragon to keep it calm. It was now studying Ise closely, almost protectively. 

He took a deep breath the moment the bomb was released. He coughed till his chest ached! Cobalt reared up and sneezed. The fireball smashed into the tree fifteen feet away and the whole thing combusted. Ran’s yellow eyes widened. He quickly put his hands under the dragon’s tiny nostrils to prevent the youngling from sneezing again. The last thing all of them needed was a forest fire. He was so distracted that he didn’t even notice the Living List emerging from Harper’s messenger bag. 

“Bless you, Colby,” Ran lowered his hands and petted the baby on the snout. His voice sounded hoarse and dry. 

A loud voice punctuated the heavy silence. "Hold your heads up high. We still have things to collect. You all still have people to see."

Ran watched as the girl sank to the floor where she remained sitting. She was now oddly quiet after such a rousing speech. He bit his lip slightly. For the first time he actually took a good look around. The whole scene reminded him of a nasty gang fight. There was a young boy lying on the ground with blood everywhere, and the young lady with curly pink hair who just fell to her knees. [i]Wait… was that pink-haired woman missing a hand?[/i] His mind blanked for a couple of seconds till he noticed the lady looking in his direction briefly. He got to his feet and headed over to her. Probably he should take a look at the boy next if Ise wasn’t already doing so. Or maybe Toby was checking on the boy. 

“Young miss, would you prefer to lie down for awhile?” He asked calmly. “There is a tree behind you that you can lean against if you feel too dizzy to lie down flat.” 

Cobalt bounded over to Ran excitedly. Nothing was more fun than hide-and-seek! The black dragon crept forward till it was in front of Lesley. Slowly it pressed down on its forelegs and lowered its head. The playful baby then tilted its head to the side as though trying to peer at Lesley’s face through the hair. Colby gave a shrill thrill hoping that the human would look up and smile like Ise would. Ran ignored Cobalt, choosing to focus on Lesley, but he didn’t remain focused for long. 

[quote=Lelia]“...We should - hch - ...have... - hch - ...the tea first if possible.”[/quote]

That was when Ran noticed Lelia and Jasper. All he could do was blink, and then blink again once more. He wasn’t even sure how to respond to the exchange between the tall, dark haired lady and her paler friend. [i]Maybe it was their way of dealing … with… keeping positive?[/i]

“Ise, how soon will help be arriving?” Ran asked quickly as he turned back to the lady he approached.